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Pentax D FA* 50mm f/1.4 - development annoucement
#81
Indeed. With their devoted but small userbase, it seems to be a sensible move. This way R&D cost gets a chance to be spread wider. And hopefully for them, open the door to fund other lenses and stuff.
#82
(08-14-2018, 08:46 AM)davidmanze Wrote: Well, as you have just confirmed the Tokina has the same optical formula..........


............IMHO that begs a huge "but"..........not that Pentax didn't design the lens........ rather.......

What is Pentax doing giving away their latest and probably their best hard won design to Tokina?

A rather strange thing to be doing if their isn't some association or another between them, don't you think?

We have established that Pentax designed the lens a 100%...........so what's your take in where Tokina fits into all this?........
No, it doesn't begs any "but".
Ricoh Imaging launched this D FA* 50mm f/1.4, a top-notch lens, and they're selling it for only $1200 to a small user base. Nikon is asking $1600 for its simpler, cheaper built 58mm; Sony, $1500 for their 50mm ZA. You should ask yourself, how is this possible?
The "Pentax-Tokina collaboration" is just a mean to share costs by increasing sales volume. The same reason as in the past collaboration.

And it's not only the optical formula that's shared... the mechanical design is largely similar (perhaps more so than in the past). The Tokina Opera's hood even gained the typical Pentax polarizer window.
OTOH the lens motor appears to be sourced from the same provider Tokina was using for the 70-200 f/4. Ordering components in larger quantities - as opposed to using slightly different components serving the same role - can decrease the cost.

What doesn't seems to be shared - but let's wait for the final product - is the tighter build of the Pentax. The developers make a point from the higher number of screws used for the D FA*'s bayonet - yet the CP+ Tokina Opera prototype had just the usual 4.
  
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